“Pat-ASK-ala? Pata-SKALA? Pa-TASK-a-la? While those in the know favor the third pronunciation, no matter how you say it, this is a unique red IPA. The beer was first brewed in September 2015 to support music and arts education programs in Pataskala, Ohio, where Stone co-founder Greg Koch grew up. People there loved it, so we added the beer to our seasonal lineup. The deep crimson hue is courtesy of a fairly new special German malt variety by BESTMALZ called Red X. Dry-hopped with Mosaic, Cascade and Amarillo hops, this beer is incredibly citrus-forward, rounded out with biscuit and toffee notes. We think you’ll find this red IPA to be quite deliciously satisfying, no matter how you choose to pronounce it.”
Served in an IPA glass. She pours an attractive crimson red with a finger of frothy beige foam forming over the top. The head slowly recedes and establishes a thick ring with some spotty lace trails left in its wake. Hallmark tropical fruits do come through initially but it’s the big caramelized malts that really capture the olfactory’s. It kind of has this boozy, stewed fruit character that features in a lot of Dogfish Head’s IPA’s. Quite dank as well, a little spicy and a touch of toffee sweetness to round it out. Very aromatic, it keeps reminding us of a Dogfish Head IPA (certainly not a bad thing, right?!) The mouth feel is uber thick and foamy with medium-full body. Good Co2. The 70 IBU is contained well as is the 7.3% ABV. The flavour literally explodes on the front palate. A big, boozy fusion of toasty malts toffee, tropical fruits and a dank resinous note are underpinned by the developing bitterness that carries it all across the mid. The hop dryness hits a crescendo as a slight warmth from the booze lays a platform for a slightly sharp and somewhat herbal finish to endure nicely on the back end. Classy. Probably the best way to sum up this red IPA. Just hitting its mark with perfect precision. Lovely balance between fruity hops and caramelized malts. Layers of toffee, spice and an assertive bitterness to carry it through. Intermittent bite from the booze. Just classy stuff here from Stone.